Lt. Gov.: Number of homeless vets drops in Mass.

Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray says new federal data shows a drop in homelessness among Massachusetts military veterans over a two-year period ending in January 2012.

Murray plans to announce news of the data at a luncheon Wednesday for state veterans' service officers. He said in a statement that veterans "deserve to have a safe place to call home."

The data is based on a count of homeless veterans by the Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development departments. The count was conducted on a single night in January 2012, and compared with previous single-night annual counts. The 1,181 people counted in 2012 represented a 7 percent decline from 2011 and a 26 percent decline from 2010.

Murray has previously announced new federal funding to hire more housing counselors and fund more housing vouchers.